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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23867482">may the time stop just once</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrychainz/pseuds/cherrychainz'>cherrychainz</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Comfort, Cuddling, Fluff, Kang Taehyun-Centric, kind of a vent</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:21:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,010</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23867482</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrychainz/pseuds/cherrychainz</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“I think, I need to sleep. But like, for really long. While everything else around me stops moving and no one expects me to do anything as long as I’m sleeping tightly.”<br/>“Taehyun, what you mean is ‘death’.”<br/>“Oh, Hyung, no- That’s not really what I intended to say.”<br/>“No, no, I get it.” Now Yeonjun sighed, just as exhausted sounding as Taehyun. “Time control, right?”</p>
<p>or</p>
<p>Taehyun is just very exhausted from existing.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>82</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>may the time stop just once</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> “If you could have any superpower, what would it be?”</p>
<p> “Time control,” Taehyun answered the interviewers question as cheerfully as ever, with a big smile on his face. The other members made approving noises, repeated his answer, excitedly nodded.</p>
<p> Taehyun had answered that question for the first time a few months ago, when they were in America for their first showcase, and now they had gotten it once again. Taehyuns answer was still the same. But unlike the first time, the interviewer now seemed to want to know more.</p>
<p> “Oh? Like would you want to travel into the future with it? Or maybe back to the past?”</p>
<p> “No, actually-” Taehyun looked down, not expecting someone to ask further. “I’d stop the time. So everything around me would stay still.” Taehyun hoped for the interviewer to be happy with that answer, and it seemed like he was. He only hummed, then went on with the next question. When Taehyun looked to the side, he saw Hueningkai, only oh so slightly eyeing him with a raised eyebrow. But he chose to ignore it.</p>
<p> In the evening, or rather, late at night, when the boys busy schedule was over, they returned to their dorms. They had filmed that interview, but still had to practice after that. Tomorrow, there’d be a photoshoot, and the dance practice would be cut short, thankfully. The day after that, Taehyun had to re record something, and of course, attend dance and performance practice. And their schedule wouldn’t become less packed in the following weeks, with their comeback coming up.</p>
<p> Beomgyu rushed past the boys to the bathroom, and Taehyun wondered where he still got that energy from. Gyu was always the first one to claim the bathroom to take a shower after practice, so the others either had to go to bed all stinky or wait for him to finish the shower.</p>
<p> Taehyun was tired, too tired to wait for his Hyung to get out of the bathroom, but also too sweaty and disgusting to just go to bed now, and so he just sat down, well, pretty much fell on the small couch in their living room, leaning back and sighing, maybe a bit too loudly.</p>
<p> “Are you tired, Taehyunnie?” Hyuka now sat down next to him.</p>
<p> “Well, yeah, obviously.” Taehyun rubbed his eyes, and it hurt him to even bring his hands up to his own face, his arms feeling like they were about to fall off. “But I’ll have to wait for Beomgyu first.”</p>
<p> “You know we could just kick him out of the shower!” Hyuka tried to joke, with a tired smile on his lips.</p>
<p> “Poor boy.” Taehyun decided to close his eyes, and when he did, it felt like he could have his eyes shut forever. It felt relieving to say the least, his eyes stopped burning as much and it took a weight from his body that had been pressuring him the whole day already. Oh, to never open them again would be a dream. “I can wait for him.”</p>
<p> “You’re gonna fall asleep on the couch, Hyun.”</p>
<p> “I’m not,” Taehyun promised his roommate. “I’ll just… have my eyes closed for a second.”</p>
<p> “Then I’ll go to bed already. Beomie is gonna take super long anyways, I’ll just sleep being smelly.”<br/>“Sure thing.”</p>
<p> “See you later, Hyun?”</p>
<p> “Mhm.” Taehyun couldn’t really bring himself to make any more noise other than a tired hum. He heard Hyuka standing up, leaving him alone on the couch, trying to listen to the noises of running water coming from the bathroom. He’d keep his eyes closed for just a few more seconds. Just a bit longer.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> What was supposed to be seconds turned into hours. Of course, Taehyun didn’t manage to keep himself awake with his eyes closed like that, and he ended up falling asleep on the couch. When he woke up, someone had put a blanket over him, he assumed it was one of his Hyungs that had spotted him sleeping on the couch.</p>
<p> He shouldn’t have attempted to wait for Beomgyu to finish his shower and just gone to bed instead last night, because his neck was hurting terribly now. Taehyun groaned as he stretched his body, feeling rigid and slightly painful. He had barely gained consciousness fully when a pressuring feeling crept up in his chest, causing him to shakily sigh.</p>
<p> He woke up like that every morning. Every day would start with a sting in his heart, fear and exhaustion spreading in his body, and it would end with him passing out in the night, already thinking about the activities of the next day. What happened in between was usually the same monotone, meaningless routine, and only an occasional moment of happiness and excitement. Recently the days had just gone by. They had rushed past Taehyun, and each day had lost its uniqueness.</p>
<p> By now, Taehyun didn’t even want to wake up in the morning. Well, that sounded like he would rather prefer to be dead, which wasn’t true at all. But he just didn’t want time to pass anymore. He wanted everything to be still, to be frozen for once, just so he could finally breathe. No worrying over schedules and things he still had to do. Just staying still for once.</p>
<p> Time control.</p>
<p> Taehyun wished he could control the time. He wished he could just stop everything around him, because he was exhausted. Of course, the comeback was near, he knew that he had to work hard for it and he also knew that it would pay off, because their fans were patiently waiting for them, they were cheering on them, but that somehow didn’t make him feel less exhausted and almost scared. Maybe looking through their fans messages or going live for just half an hour gave him happiness and energy, but just his tiredness was ready to flood his body once the cameras were turned off and they went back to training.</p>
<p> Taehyun loved what he did. He loved being an idol. He loved singing and dancing and being on stage but recently, it had just become so heavy. And all he really wanted was that weight to be lifted from his shoulders. But he was only left wondering when that would happen, when his heart would feel light again.</p>
<p> He knew very well that he could talk about that feeling. He was sure that the others would understand him and comfort him and maybe, just maybe cry with him. But at the same time, he didn’t want to say a word, to not worry them, or perhaps because he didn’t quite know how to word it without sounding so terribly depressing.</p>
<p> “Good morning, Taehyun.” A tired but familiar voice pulled Taehyun out of his thoughts and a boy, still in his pajamas, with messy hair and a cup of whatever sat down next to him.</p>
<p> “Hi, Hyung.”</p>
<p> The eldest of the boys, Yeonjun, didn’t say anything, just sipped from his what Taehyun assumed to be coffee or something, staring into the void in front of him.</p>
<p> “Did you sleep well?” Taehyun asked after a while of silence.</p>
<p> “Yeah. But I honestly would have loved to sleep a bit longer.”</p>
<p> “Same…” Taehyun cuddled up more in the blanket someone had so lightly put over him last night.</p>
<p> “How are you feeling though? Not to stiff? You didn’t even get to change last night, you just fully passed out.”</p>
<p> “Well, I’m not feeling great but when do I ever?” Yeonjun frowned at that response.</p>
<p> “You look tired lately.”</p>
<p> “I am tired, it’s comeback season, we work our asses off all day.” Taehyun forced a smile on his face, but when Yeonjun only eyed him with a worried expression, the boy sighed heavily once again. “I think it’s getting too much lately. Like… everything.”</p>
<p> “Yeah.” Yeonjun put his mug down, swaying it slightly in his hands. “I feel you. If you need to talk-”</p>
<p> “I think, I need to sleep. But like, for really long. While everything else around me stops moving and no one expects me to do anything as long as I’m sleeping tightly.”</p>
<p> “Taehyun, what you mean is ‘death’.”</p>
<p> “Oh, Hyung, no- That’s not really what I intended to say.”</p>
<p> “No, no, I get it though.” Now Yeonjun sighed, just as exhausted sounding as Taehyun. “Time control, right?” Taehyun only nodded. Yeah. Yeonjun got him. He understood. Being the eldest of the group and a trainee for a good six years or so, he had probably felt like this many times before.</p>
<p> “Sometimes existing just… sucks,” Yeonjun huffed, and what Taehyun thought to be exhaustion gleamed in his eyes before he slowly got up. “I’ll go get a shower now. Went to bed without last night, thanks to Gyu and Soobin taking too long and also using up all the hot water. Don’t you wanna-” Yeonjun eyed his younger band member. “Go get a quick nap in your bed maybe? It’s super early still. You have a few hours before you’ll have to get ready.” Taehyun hesitated. But then, he nodded, pulling the blanket aside and finally getting up, his legs hurting, as if he hadn't moved them in years.</p>
<p> “I will. See you later, Hyung.”</p>
<p> “See you later.” Yeonjun had already turned the back to Taehyun and left his mug on a table, disappearing into the bathroom.</p>
<p> Taehyun trotted into his shared room with Hyuka, opening the door ever so quietly to not wake up his room mate. To his surprise, the boy in question already was awake, sitting in complete darkness with a plushie in his arm, staring at his phone. He looked up when Taehyun entered.</p>
<p> “I missed you last night, Tyun. You didn’t really have your eyes closed for just a few seconds, didn’t you?”</p>
<p> “Maybe a few more seconds than anticipated, yeah.” Taehyun tiredly grinned at his friend.</p>
<p> “I was waiting for you to come and cuddle.” He spotted an adorable pout on Hyukas face. “But you already were passed out when I came to check on you, Soobin was putting a blanket you you. You didn’t even move, and Beomgyu thought you died for a hot minute-”</p>
<p> “Quit rambling and make some space.” Taehyun just sighed.</p>
<p> “Huh?”</p>
<p> “Come on, you’re getting your cuddles. I’m tired.” He sat down on the bed his room mate was laying in, shoving a few plushies away to make space for himself. “And sad,” he then added. Hykua didn’t say a word, but instead put his phone away and shared his blanket with his friend.</p>
<p> “Don’t be sad, Hyunnie…” He mumbled, tightly hugging onto Taehyuns body, rubbing his belly softly like he loved to do with every member. “Hueningie is here to make you not sad again.”</p>
<p> “I will stop being sad if you didn’t say anything and let me sleep.” Taehyun had already closed his eyes again after tiredness overcame him as soon as he properly laid down.</p>
<p> “Whaa, okay, fine.” Hyuka hugged him just a bit tighter. “But you know what?”</p>
<p> “Hm?”</p>
<p> “I love you lots.”</p>
<p> “I also love you lots,” Taehyun responded, smiling just slightly, being too tired again to even move his face muscles a lot.</p>
<p> Hey. There it was again. The comfort Taehyun was looking for. He may not be able to stop time, and escape all these things that only exhausted him, but at least he had some way to recharge his energy, even just a bit. Whenever he had his members close, maybe it did feel like the time was coming to a halt. The weight in his chest certainly lessened.</p>
<p> Life kept going. The world wouldn’t suddenly stop spinning just for him, and there’d be more responsibilities and hard work coming up. There was sadly no way to escape it. But sometimes there were these small moments where he could at least feel like everything was at peace. Yes, these moments would end. But that meant he only had to enjoy every single second of them.</p>
<p> And soon, hard times would pass, right? Abd he wasn't alone.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>uuhm hello! hello.<br/>here's a very very tiny oneshot i made after kind of having a breakdown over everything?? i remember taehyun saying that he wanted time control powers in the buzzfeed puppy interview and my stressed ass thought "wow me too" and then i wrote this and its very very small but yeah c:<br/>also first time posting on ao3 and im kinda scared but hi! hope u liked it!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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